Lucas Read online

  The lock clicked solidly into place, and footsteps moved away. The distant door slammed, and Daniel was alone once again.

  * * * *

  Lucas felt the bed shift as Kathryn left. He cracked his eyes open and saw her gathering her clothes, sneaking looks over her shoulder. Did she really know so little about vampires? He didn’t sleep, not the way humans did. Not at night, anyway. And his daytime sleep was more like unconsciousness, at least physically. His mind could be active, but his body would refuse to cooperate.

  Kathryn tiptoed out of the bedroom while Lucas fumed. This was getting to be a habit, and one he didn’t appreciate in a lover. He followed silently, stepping into the living room as she pulled the black dress over her head.

  “Kathryn.”

  She jumped at the sound of his voice, spinning around and almost falling as she struggled to get the dress pulled down far enough that she could see him. She would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her.

  She slapped away his hands, giving him an angry look. “That wasn’t funny.”

  “None of this is funny,” he snapped back at her. “I thought we were past the sneaking-out phase of our relationship.”

  “Relationship? Is that you call this?”

  “Well, what the hell do you call it?”

  She took a step forward and got up in his face. “We’re having sex. And, frankly, I shouldn’t even be doing that. I’m supposed to be looking for my brother, not rolling around in bed with you.”

  “You are looking for your brother, but even you can’t do it twenty-four hours a damn day.”

  “I need to find Alex Carmichael, and I’m beginning to think no one wants me to talk to him, including you.”

  “Is that right?” Lucas snarled. “News flash, Agent Hunter. I’ve had my people looking for him ever since you told me he left with your brother. I want him found just as much as you do.”

  Kathryn matched his angry stare at first, then seemed to deflate as she stepped back and sank onto the couch. “I need to find Alex, Lucas.”

  Lucas crouched in front of her and took her hands. “I know, a cuisle. And we will. He can’t hide forever.”

  “What if he’s left town? You said he had a different master. Will he go to him?”

  “Possibly. Although Alex set himself up in Minneapolis for a reason. I think he prefers living here.”

  “I don’t understand any of this. I don’t understand how all of you can live in this country and not be in the system. There are no prints on file for him anywhere. He owns a business, but there are no permits, no ownership documents. The building where his gallery’s located is owned by a corporation that’s nested so deeply, it would take months for me to track it back to the real owner. If this was an official investigation, I could put some techs on it, but it’s just me, and I can’t find him.”

  She looked up, her eyes filled with tears. “I need to find him, Lucas.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she froze, immediately turning her head and hiding behind her hair. No emotion, no feelings. Not for his Kathryn.

  Lucas sighed. “I’ve put feelers out everywhere I can think of. And Alex knows me. He’ll call as soon as he gets word that I’m looking for him.”

  “I thought you all could just—” She sighed impatiently and waved a hand in the air. “You know, telepathy, talk mind to mind.”

  Lucas fought back a smile, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate it. Not in her current state. “If Alex was my child . . . a vampire I had turned myself,” he added when she gave him a puzzled look. “If he was one of mine, I could contact him without needing a telephone, so to speak, but he’s not.”

  Kathryn stood abruptly, shoving her hair back. She looked around the room until she spotted her purse, then went over and started pulling things out. Her gun. He hadn’t known she’d brought one along, although if he’d given it a thought, he’d have smelled the damn thing. Next came her FBI badge in its small, black portfolio, and finally, a black scrunchy, which was apparently what she was looking for. She finger-combed her hair into a high ponytail and secured it with the scrunchy. Lucas had a few of those himself. He’d been known to go months between haircuts, until his hair irritated him enough that he broke down and got it cut again.

  Kathryn turned to face him from across the room, her cheeks scrubbed free of tears. “It must be getting late for you,” she said, not looking at him.

  Lucas studied her, wondering what event in her life had caused her to withdraw so completely into herself. Wondering if he’d ever find out.

  “The sun will rise in . . . forty-five minutes, give or take a minute,” he confirmed.

  She looked at him then, her eyes wide with surprise. “You can tell that precisely?”

  “When your life depends on it, you learn.”

  He could see she was intrigued. Perhaps that was the way to Kathryn’s heart. Give her a mystery to solve. Assuming he wanted to find her heart at all. Maybe he’d be better off taking a page from her playbook. A few nights of wild sex, then good-bye, nice fucking you.

  “What will you do today?” he asked her.

  She bit her full lower lip, considering. Lucas watched avidly, thinking how much he’d like to be the one doing the biting. He almost missed what she was saying when she finally spoke.

  “I don’t know that there’s anything I can do during the day. The only lead I have right now is Alex Carmichael.”

  Lucas thought about what might happen if Kathryn went looking for a vampire who didn’t want to be found. Even one as relatively harmless as Alex.

  “Promise you won’t go looking for him without me, Kathryn. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

  She drew a breath, and he could tell she was going to brush him off just like she’d done every other time. But then something changed her mind.

  “Okay,” she said unexpectedly. “Call me when you’re ready to go tonight.”

  She turned away, but Lucas used his vampire speed to cross the few feet between them, snaking an arm around her waist before she even saw him move. Her eyes widened in shock, but her pupils flared with desire as he tightened his hold.

  “I’m ready now, a cuisle.”

  Kathryn’s face heated as Lucas flattened his hand over her perfect ass, pressing her against his erection.

  “What about—” she began, but her words were cut off as Lucas’s house phone rang. He frowned. He wasn’t expecting any calls, and certainly not this close to sunrise.

  “Saved by the bell,” he murmured, then gave her a quick, hard kiss and strode over to the bar to pick up the phone, checking the caller ID as he did so. His eyebrows shot up, and he stilled, listening to Kathryn’s footsteps as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

  He hit the Talk button. “Alex?”

  “My lord,” Alex Carmichael said breathlessly. “I don’t have long. I need to meet with you.”

  “What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

  “Not now, my lord,” he said, still breathing hard. “There’s no time. Can you meet me tomorrow night?”

  “Of course. At the gallery?”

  “No,” Alex said instantly. “Too many ears. I have a property in Saint Louis Park, an old warehouse. It’s empty, abandoned. I bought it on spec, but— Forgive me, my lord. You don’t care about that. The point is, it’s empty. No one will look for us there. I can send you the address.”

  “Text it,” Lucas told him, and gave him Nick’s business cell number. “How far is it?”

  “Just a few miles, my lord. Fifteen minutes’ drive from Minneapolis.”

  “Two hours after sunset, then. I’ll be there.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Alex said fervently. “Thank you.” And then he was gone.

  Lucas disconnected with a frown, then immediately called Nick.

  “Sire?” Nick answered, sounding just as surprised as Lucas had been when Alex called.

  “Alex Carmichael just called.”

  “That’s not possible— Which line?” />
  “The house phone.”

  “Where the hell did he get that number?”

  “Good question. Better question . . . why does he want to meet me?” He heard the bathroom door open behind him, heard Kathryn’s high heels tapping across the hardwood floor.

  “I don’t like it,” Nick said.

  “No, neither do I. Something’s not right. He sounded . . . frightened, but determined at the same time.”

  “Klemens is behind this somehow.”

  “I think you’re right, but I have to go anyway.”

  “Sire!”

  “Nick, I need to hear what he has to say.”

  “My lord. Lucas. Please. You like Kathryn, and you’d like to help her. I get that. But it’s not worth risking—”

  “This isn’t a debate, Nick. You’ll be getting a text with the address. An old warehouse in Saint Louis Park.”

  “That’s right outside the city,” Nick said unhappily. “He obviously knows you’re here.”

  “I’m sure Francoise was on the phone with him the moment we drove away from the gallery.” Lucas felt more than heard Kathryn’s attention spike at the mention of Alex’s gallery manager. He turned around slowly and found her staring at him, her purse in one hand, weapon and badge once again safely stowed inside.

  “Please tell me you’re not planning on going alone.”

  “I’m not an idiot, Nick. You and Mason.”

  “And a team, my lord. Please.”

  “You and Mason, Nick,” he repeated. “He’s already terrified. I don’t want to scare him away.”

  Nick groaned. “You’re killing me here, Sire.”

  “I’ll bring Agent Hunter along for good measure, how’s that? She’s armed and dangerous.”

  Kathryn narrowed her eyes at him, and he grinned.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.”

  “Then tell me what time tomorrow night, and we’ll be ready.”

  “Alex and I agreed on two hours after sunset, but let’s get there a half hour earlier than that.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Lucas smiled at the glum resignation in his lieutenant’s voice as he hung up. Kathryn was on him an instant later.

  “Whom are we meeting?” she demanded.

  Lucas gazed down at her beautiful face, her lips still swollen from his kisses, her blue eyes bright with excitement. And all he wanted to do was drag her back to his bed. She stared back at him and must have read the desire in his gaze, because her cheeks heated, and her heart began to race. She licked her lips, and Lucas followed the quick movement of her pink tongue.

  “Who—” she repeated, then had to swallow when her voice came out raspy and dry. “Whom are we meeting, Lucas?” she said, trying again.

  “Alex Carmichael,” Lucas provided, cupping her jaw in his hand and lowering his mouth to hers for a lingering kiss. It was all he had time for. The sun was very nearly above the horizon. Not that Kathryn would be interested in sex anyway. Not once she’d heard Alex’s name.

  She grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers as she pulled away from their kiss. “Carmichael? Does he have Daniel?”

  “He didn’t mention your brother,” Lucas said, sighing in resignation, “and I think he would have if he had him. But we’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Damn it,” she swore. “Wait. He gave you the address. Give it to me, and I’ll check it out today. If Daniel’s there, I can grab him. If not, no harm, right?”

  Lucas gave her a patient look. “The location is an abandoned warehouse. It’s doubtful Alex is there now. If he is, the building will be secure enough that you won’t be able to do anything but stare at it from the outside.”

  “You can’t know that. Give me the address.”

  “I do know that, and, no, I won’t give you the address, because if you storm in there without knowing what you’re doing, someone might end up dead.”

  “You mean your buddy Alex.”

  “No, actually, I meant you. But, yes, Alex might also be a casualty. A vampire at rest is completely defenseless. I won’t help you with that.”

  She stared at him, her jaw flexing with tension. “You don’t think Daniel is there.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “All right. We’ll play it your way.”

  “Yes, we will. You can let yourself out.” He strode toward the bedroom, miffed at her single-minded obsession with her brother.

  “Wait!” she called. “What time—” She yelped in surprise as the automatic steel shutters rolled over the windows and locked with a loud thunking noise.

  “Be here at sunset,” he said over his shoulder. “You’ve got three minutes, or you’ll be locked in here until then.”

  Kathryn shot a quick glance at the shuttered windows, then back at him. She grabbed her purse and coat, then surprised him by racing over to give him a quick kiss before running for the door.

  “I’ll see you at sunset,” she called as she hurried out of the penthouse.

  Lucas gazed after her in bemusement. Maybe there was hope for her yet. He pressed a button on the security control panel for the penthouse, overriding the lockout on the elevator. A second button push, and a screen deployed, showing him Kathryn in the elevator, then switching to the lobby as she exited the building. She was on her cell phone, presumably calling a cab. She shouldn’t have a problem this early in the day.

  He leaned heavily against the wall as he entered a code to remove the override. The system reasserted itself immediately, bringing the elevator back to the penthouse level and locking it there, while securing both the elevator door and the front door to the suite with the same steel shutters that covered the windows.

  Lucas knew the moment the sun topped the horizon. It was a flame inside his head, a thousand pound weight on his chest as he fell onto the bed. His last thought before the sun stole his awareness was that Klemens was using Carmichael as bait. That this was payback for the death of his vampires in the Rockford house.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I don’t like it.”

  Lucas glanced at Nicholas, not at all surprised by his lieutenant’s pronouncement. “Of course, you don’t,” he commented, then turned his attention back to the decrepit warehouse where Alex had set the meet. “I’m not crazy about it myself.”

  “How do we know who or what’s waiting in there?” Nick insisted.

  Kathryn made an impatient noise. “We’ll never know if we stand out here all night.”

  “Actually,” Lucas said, giving her an apologetic look, “I can tell you right now who’s in there. And that’s Alex Carmichael.”

  “You can tell,” she said faintly, and then her expression fell. “Only Carmichael?” she said, disappointment dragging on every syllable.

  “Yes. I’m sorry, Kathryn.”

  “You warned me,” she said resignedly. “I didn’t believe you.”

  Lucas ran a comforting hand down her arm. “Your brother’s not there, but that doesn’t mean Carmichael doesn’t know where he is. He asked to meet us for a reason.”

  “Sure.”

  “Nicholas,” Lucas said, reaching a decision.

  “Sire.”

  “Kathryn and I will go in alone. You and Mason—”

  “My lord! Carmichael belongs to Klemens. What if it’s a trap?” Nick demanded, echoing Lucas’s own concerns.

  “That’s why I want you and Mason out here. There is no one in that building, human or vampire, except for Alex. And I think I can handle him on my own. But if it’s a trap, if Klemens plans to send a force in after us . . . then I need you out here, keeping watch and ready to call in the troops.”

  “I could call them now, my lord. They’re geared up and waiting for the word.”

  Lucas considered it. This entire setup was damn odd. But Carmichael was a decent sort who had always chafed under Klemens’s rule. He’d never had the courage to leave the other vampire lord’s territory, but he’d spent much of his time in Minneapolis, nonethele
ss.

  He shook his head. “There’s no one in there, Nick. Come on, Kathryn,” he said, holding out a hand, “let’s see what Alex has to tell us.”

  She looked at his hand, then drew her Glock instead. “I’m with Nick on this one,” she said grimly. “I don’t know who this guy Klemens is, but there’s something not right about this meet.”

  Nicholas gave Lucas a meaningful look, which Lucas ignored. “As you will, a cuisle,” he said to Kathryn. “But, let’s go see.”

  The building was old and deeply weathered. The brick was pitted, the mortar missing in chunks big enough that an observer could have peeked inside if one had been so foolish as to put an eye up to the small holes presented. Lucas wasn’t that foolish. He strode up to the sheet metal-plated front door and gave the handle a tentative yank. It was unlocked. Clearly Carmichael was expecting them.

  The door opened outward. He checked to make sure Kathryn was ready, then pulled open the door and went in ahead of her. He might not think there was a trap waiting for them, but he wasn’t going to bet Kathryn’s life on it. He was far less destructible than his human lover.

  Dirt and grit scraped underfoot as they crossed what had been a small reception area. There was an ancient metal desk in one corner and what he assumed were the remains of a chair in pieces behind it. Wires, both phone and electrical, poked out of the walls, and patches of carpet spotted the concrete floor like a brown fungus.

  “Nice,” Kathryn commented.

  “Alex did say it was abandoned.”

  A second door stood open to the interior. Lucas crossed over to it and saw that the rest of the building had been a manufacturing facility of some sort. There was a central open area with heavy mountings still bolted to the floor, although the equipment had been removed for the most part. What bits remained were unrecognizable, at least to Lucas. Around all four sides was an open mezzanine with three separate floors, each facing out onto the manufacturing area. Offices lined the mezzanine walls, some with doors still closed, others gaping open. Whatever glass had been in either the doors or the open frames next to them was long gone and littered the floor underfoot. A metal railing that had once provided a barrier between the mezzanine levels and the open factory was rusted away with big gaps where it had fallen, or been ripped, away completely.